How can you learn in your sleep? How can lucid dreaming help you improve your athletic performance?
The authors of Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming argue that through lucid dreaming, you can improve nearly any skill, both cognitive and physical. They even believe that training through lucid dreaming is more powerful than using mental imagery while awake.
Keep reading to learn how you can learn and train while lucid dreaming.
Learn New Skills and Improve Performance
Can you train and learn in your sleep? Lucid dreams can be a practice arena for improving your skills and performance in many areas, including athletic training, work performance, exam-taking, and creative pursuits like playing music and dancing. The authors explain that science has already shown that using mental imagery in waking life can improve skills and performance. Therefore, they argue lucid dreaming has the potential to be an even more effective way to improve your skills because the mental images in lucid dreams are much more vivid than your waking imagination.
(Shortform note: Since the publication of Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming, multiple studies have supported the authors’ hypothesis that practicing motor skills in lucid dreams can improve your performance in waking life. For example, improvements in motor skill performance after lucid dream practice is comparable to that gained through practice while awake.)
Mental imagery improves skills and performance because the neurons in your brain that fire when you’re actually practicing something are the same ones that fire when you imagine practicing. When the same neurons fire together repeatedly, the connections between them strengthen over time. This attachment creates an efficient neural pathway that requires less conscious effort to use. Strong, efficient neural pathways lead to expanded and improved skills and better performance.
(Shortform note: Research evidence supports the authors’ argument that mental imagery exercises can improve skills and performance by activating the brain’s neurons in ways similar to physical practice. Studies have also shown that visualization exercises enhance your motor skills, including coordination and speed, because mentally rehearsing a skill allows you to identify areas for improvement and practice more efficiently later. Visualization can also boost confidence and help you prepare for challenges by simulating success in a safe space.)
The more your mental imagery practice feels like the real thing, the more it’ll improve your skills and performance. The authors argue that this is why lucid dreams are the most powerful form of mental imagery practice: They’re totally immersive and engage all our senses, unlike the weak mental images we can create while awake. Additionally, because of the limitless possibilities of lucid dreams, we can push the boundaries of our abilities when we practice inside them.
(Shortform note: A meta-analysis of 37 studies published between 1995 and 2018 confirmed that mental imagery practice, termed mental practice (MP), has a positive effect on performance—but, somewhat surprisingly, the vividness or realism of the mental imagery didn’t influence the effect of MP. Instead, the study found that the duration of MP and the type of task being practiced had the greatest impact on its effectiveness. Participants who believed in their ability to do a task and those who had done the task before got more out of MP, suggesting that it may be particularly beneficial if you already have some level of confidence and proficiency in a skill.)
